


Mirror Inverted

by Svartalfur



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-30
Updated: 2011-04-30
Packaged: 2017-10-18 19:51:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/192612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Svartalfur/pseuds/Svartalfur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teddy Lupin's deepest, most desperate desire is to get to know his father.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mirror Inverted

Boom.

Crash.

Clatter.

The sounds of destruction were banal. It made up for it with sparkle. Silver shards, burning with the reflection of spellfire, rained to the floor and died. The Mirror was no more.

It should have been the end.

* * *

 **Part I**

 

It began with a bedtime story his godfather told him, a short yet endless story, a story that accompanied him through the years of his childhood and never left him alone until he saw it with his own eyes.

It. The Mirror.

At Hogwarts, finally, he wasted no time. He began his quest on the night that followed the Sorting. A proud Gryffindor like his father and godfather, he continued the tradition of boldly breaking the rules, chatting with portraits and ghosts on his midnight stroll through the castle. Painted arms opened wide, and foggy lips curled into smiles. He was welcome.

It didn't take long. A whisper from an obscure canvas, the unsuspected swing of a staircase, a translucent finger pointed, and one fine night, two weeks into his first term, Teddy Lupin stood in front of a door he'd never seen before. His heart was pounding in his ears.

It appeared to be an ordinary classroom door, left slightly ajar, but when Teddy placed a sweaty palm on the wood, he could feel the difference. The wood was warm to the touch, tingling with the promise of adventure. The door opened without a sound, and Teddy tiptoed inside.

If the layers of dust and cobwebs were anything to go by, the room hadn't seen any students for at least a century. The desks and chairs were even older fashioned than those in Binns's classroom. Instead of a teacher's desk, the small dais in front held something that most definitely didn't belong. Two golden claws, untouched by dirt and grime, carried a magnificent frame that reached as high as the ceiling. From the back row, Teddy could see the reflection of the moon swimming inside, its silver shimmer illuminating the ornaments of its gilded confines.

Too excited even to whoop, he fought his way through a jungle of furniture and cobwebs, scaring swarms of creepy-crawly denizens and leaving a broad trail in his wake. He hardly noticed a chair crashing down; his eyes were fixed on the splendid object before him, his childhood holy grail.

 _"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi."_

Whispering the words he already knew by heart, he raised a hand and traced the ornament of a flower that merged into an animal merged into a mask. Before he slipped past the frame to stand right in front of the Mirror, he closed his eyes. Balling his hands into fists, he counted to ten, then to twenty. At twenty-five he opened his eyes, blinked twice and smiled. The Mirror had kept its promise.

"Hi, Dad!" he greeted the image.

* * *

Teddy wasn't disappointed when he opened his eyes and only found his dad in the Mirror. He knew his mum from the stories of his grandmother, from the family photo albums and from his own face. She was there with him every time he changed the colour of his hair or the form of his nose. He did it now, let his hair flash up in bright orange and his nose grow to meet his forehead. His dad beamed and applauded, and Teddy turned purple proud.

The few photographs of Remus Lupin he'd seen showed his father as a grown man. He'd looked so old, much older than a dad should look, and as washed out as his cardigan. The pictures barely moved. Whatever funny grimaces he'd tried on them, the smiles he coaxed were always sad, and reserved for special occasions like Christmas or his birthday. Most of the time, his father had been absent or asleep.

The dad in the Mirror was nothing like that. His warm eyes and the mischievous grin on his lips radiated happiness, understanding. He pointed his wand at a wardrobe in the background of the Mirror. Out sprang a skeleton. Wearing nothing but a threadbare cardigan, it was a grotesque sight. Yet it had an odd effect on Teddy. His teeth began to chatter, and he rubbed his arms to protect himself against the sudden cold. Giving him an encouraging smile, his dad pointed his wand again. The skeleton turned into a white rabbit with a pink floral waistcoat and hopped away.

At six or seven, his grandmother had caught Teddy crying over the photographs. He hadn't been unhappy or upset, he'd just wanted to experience the sadness that was showing on his father's face. His grandmother had taken the photos away from him, promising to return them, "as soon as you're able to understand, my darling."

Teddy had understood for a long time now. He'd sneaked out of bed to listen to the shouting matches between his grandmother and Uncle Harry. He'd heard their anxious whispers when they thought he was asleep at St. Mungo's and he'd seen the relief on their faces at the verdict of the healer. His father had been a werewolf, and Teddy was not.

"I hate it that I'm not like you," he confessed to the Mirror. "I wanted it so much. To ... to know." He hung his head, and his hair grew into his face. "I hate it."

His dad put a finger to his lips and shook his head. As Teddy's hair slowly withdrew, changing from mud to green, his dad pointed to the sky. An enormous moon floated low, bathing everything in silver. Raising both arms as if to greet it, his dad began to move backwards and forwards in an awkward dance.

Confused and a little bit embarrassed, Teddy turned away and noticed the real moon outside the window. Its glow was magic, transforming cobwebs into wondrous landscapes and spiders into fairies. Then he realised. The moon was full, and his dad was unchanged.

"You're free here," he whispered.

"Free!" he whooped, laughing out loud at the reflection of his hair, blue and silver like the moonlight.

* * *

Every good story had a villain, and Uncle Harry's Mirror story had the Headmaster. Teddy was aware of the danger of the Headmaster's interference every night, and he never entered the Mirror room without being prepared to fight with everything he had for the right to see his dad. He doubted that the Headmaster could be defeated by a Leg-Locker Curse or a Tickling Charm, though.

Teddy pointed his wand at the Viktor Krum action figure on its miniature broom. "Petrificus Totalis."

Nothing happened. Krum, his trademark scowl unchanged, continued to spin in endless circles.

Inside the Mirror, Teddy's dad smiled. He raised his wand and pointed it at the white rabbit that was busy hopping across a background meadow carrying a cup of tea. Teddy's dad demonstrated the exact wand movements of the Body-Bind Curse while his mouth silently formed the incantation. The rabbit stiffened mid-hop and fell like a stone. Describing an arch in the air, the teacup landed in the outstretched hand of Teddy's dad. He took a sip, pinkie properly extended.

Teddy clapped and cheered, then pointed his wand at Krum again. "Petrificus Totalis."

This time, the broomstick wobbled. Krum shot backwards against the wall. Giggling with pride, Teddy crept across the dais to retrieve the toy. About to turn back he froze in fear, as if hit by a Body-Bind himself. There among the shadows stood a man, staring at him with burning eyes.

"Blimey!" Teddy swore under his breath. "The Headmaster!" As soon as he could move again, he scrambled backwards and hid behind the Mirror.

Headmaster Snape couldn't be more different from the twinkling Headmaster of Uncle Harry's tale. Teddy could hardly imagine Snape talking about dreams or woollen socks. He was a hero, Teddy had been told, a great man, but that didn't make him appear one iota less dangerous or mean.

Rumour had it that a snake bite had turned him into a horrific creature, a monster that had the power to kill with a single glance, cursed to prowl the castle at night and never to see daylight again. Teddy had only ever met him at the Welcome Feast, but Snape's transfixed glare had nearly convinced him of the story.

Nonsense! Teddy tried to reassure himself. Snape couldn't be a monster; Uncle Harry had named his son after him. Teddy wasn't afraid. He wondered what Snape was doing. Why hadn't he come for him by now? Maybe there was hope. Maybe Snape was willing to negotiate. Maybe he could be convinced ...

Teddy crawled to the edge of the Mirror and peered into the room. The shadows in the back looked as they always did. There was no one there.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Teddy returned to his usual spot in front of the Mirror. His dad had conjured a chessboard and already moved a knight. Teddy took his own chessboard from his robes and matched the move. All thoughts of meddling headmasters were forgotten.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Victoire paused in the middle of the hallway. "The Astronomy Tower's that way."

Caught in a moonbeam she was beautiful, as beautiful as Queen Titania herself, but as conspicuous as a man wearing the head of an ass on his shoulders. Teddy tugged her sleeve, trying to draw her back into the shadows. "I'll show you a secret tonight," he whispered. "I want you to meet my dad."

Victoire's eyes widened. Whether it was with surprise or fear, Teddy couldn't have said. He regretted his plan. He should have told her about the Mirror before taking her to see it. It would devastate him if she thought of him as a freak.

Her eyes widened even more. She swayed as if about to faint, and her lips formed a silent, "O." Teddy turned his head to see what frightened her.

Two burning eyes stared at him from the shadows.

"Hea... Headmaster," Victoire said with trembling lips.

Snape glided into the hallway and positioned himself between Teddy and Victoire. "What do you think you're doing here, in the middle of the night?" His voice was a mere rasp, and he pressed the tip of his wand to his throat.

"She didn't want to come. I persuaded her. I wanted to show her the ... the Orion constellation."

"Young Mr Lupin. Always the gentleman, I see." Snape's voice was louder now, but still hoarse. "I wonder where you acquired your sense of entitlement?"

Lowering his wand, he closed in on Teddy and hissed into his ear, "That your father's a dead hero doesn't give you the right to break the rules, do you understand me, boy?"

"We're very sorry," Victoire said, her hand fluttering to her heart.

"As you should be." Snape raised his wand to his throat again. "One hundred points from Gryffindor."

"But sir..." Huge tears were running down Victoire's face. Despite the circumstances, Teddy had to concentrate hard to suppress a grin. Victoire's tears never failed to impress her dad or Uncle Ron, but did she really think they would work with Snape?

Snape completely ignored her, his eyes never leaving Teddy. "What's so funny?" His hand shot forward and white fingers clasped the Prefect's badge on Teddy's robes.

"I warned Professor McGonagall about the recklessness prevalent in your family. Now let me warn you." Snape's breath was hot on Teddy's neck.

"If I ever catch you out of bounds again, I'll personally see to it that you lose more than house points." He let go of the Prefect's badge so abruptly it snapped.

"Go now. Run before I change my mind and give you detention for the rest of term."

Teddy didn't need to be told twice. He gripped his badge and Victoire's hand and sped off to Gryffindor Tower, dragging her along with him. Long after having passed the Fat Lady, he could still feel Snape's eyes burning into his back.

* * *

"It's your last night, _our_ last night at school together." Victoire pouted beautifully. "Do you really have to go?"

Teddy took her hand in his and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, and the day after, and every day of the holidays." When she didn't answer his smile, he pressed her hand. "I'll never see _him_ again. You must understand that I have to say goodbye."

"Must I?" Blue eyes challenged him. "You know perfectly well it's not a _him_. It's not your father. Just a stupid old mirror."

"I know. Trust me, I know." As always when he reassured her, Teddy wondered if it was the truth. It had to be. And anyway, it was the last time.

"But Dad in the Mirror was always there for me when I needed him. I don't know what I'd have done without him."

"You have real friends now." She laced her fingers with his and this time, she smiled. "Never forget that."

"I won't." The sight of their entwined hands made his nose grow skyward with pride. They fit together so well, and yet, wasn't it a miracle? She was the most beautiful girl in the school, and she cared for him. "You could come with me," he offered.

She frowned. "Snape'll only catch us again. I wonder how he does it. He's thwarted us every time we've tried. Every single time."

He wanted to assure her that he'd find a way to avoid Snape, but she shook her head. "It's fine as it is. I don't know if I could bear it, to be confronted with my deepest desire." Her laughter sounded insecure, and they fell silent.

When Teddy finally left, midnight had long passed. The embers in the fireplace had died, and the cold of the early morning hours had crept into the Common Room. Victoire had fallen asleep in his arms. Teddy conjured a blanket for her before he silently slipped away.

* * *

Portraits waved at him, staircases swung his way, and ghosts bowed their heads in passing. The castle bade him farewell.

The door to the Mirror room stood slightly ajar, just as it had done the first time, more than six years ago. When Teddy placed his palm on the wood, he found it much warmer than usual. It filled him with a sense of imminent danger. He shrugged the unpleasant feeling off. Pushing the door open with his knee, he went inside.

At first glance, everything seemed unchanged. The Mirror cast a wan glow, flooding the room with shadows. Looking closer, Teddy noticed a subtle deviation from the familiar scene.

A new shadow had joined the crowd. Darker and more substantial than its mates, it crouched in front of the Mirror at the exact same spot where Teddy used to sit.

Teddy stood undecided for a moment, unwilling to leave and forfeit his last chance to see his dad in the Mirror, but not wanting to risk discovery either. Whoever the shadow was, he doubted it would appreciate being disturbed.

While Teddy still pondered his next move, the shadow shifted. A white hand gripped the frame of the Mirror, the hand of a skeleton, clutching a golden flower like a lifeline. Without a thought, Teddy dived behind the next desk.

When, after endless seconds, Teddy risked another glance, the shadow hadn't moved. It still clung to the frame like a drowning man. Curious, Teddy inched deeper into the room, intending to look into the Mirror from afar. If only the magic wouldn't become aware of him, he might get a glimpse of what the shadow saw.

From the middle of the back row, Teddy noticed a change of light. The Mirror had glowed pale before, but now it was aglitter with green and golden specks. Within, sunlight was shining through a canopy of leaves, setting the ripples of a small pond on fire. A man was sitting on a fallen trunk, his head burrowed in his hands. When he looked up, Teddy recognised his dad.

Teddy rubbed his eyes. How could it be? What was his dad to the shadow? Was it possible that the shadow wasn't real after all, and that Teddy's own desire had created the image? A second glance confused him even more. The man wasn't the dad in the Mirror he knew. He was the sad father from the photographs, careworn and grey.

Remus stood up and skipped a stone across the water, then followed it with his eyes until it disappeared. He plucked a blade of grass. Chewing on it, he paced up and down the lakeshore. He spat it out, sat down on a boulder and hid his face behind his hands again. After sitting motionless for a while, he picked a new blade of grass.

 _What weird kind of dream is this?_ Teddy thought.

Another stone had just vanished among wavelets when Remus glanced up. Like a sunbeam breaking through the leaves, a smile spread across his face. The caged animal from seconds ago had transformed into a man aglow with happiness.

Wondering about the sudden change in his father's demeanour, Teddy startled as someone else appeared in the Mirror.

Snape strode through the forest as if patrolling the halls of Hogwarts, robes billowing behind him. He came to a halt in front of Remus, and the two men scrutinised each other from head to toe. For long moments, nothing happened at all. Then, Remus slowly raised a hand to Snape's collar and opened the two topmost buttons of Snape's robes.

Spinning on his heels, Snape escaped Remus's grasp. He drew his wand and Banished Remus's cardigan to a branch high above their heads.

Grinning, Remus removed his shirt and tossed it across a lower branch. Corduroys and pants followed. Kicking off his shoes, he waded into the pond. Snape watched him with an unreadable expression before he, too, undressed.

Teddy observed, open-mouthed, his father and Snape fooling around in the water, behaving as wild and carefree as boys.

 _I didn't know you were friends._

After a long swim, Remus left the pond, his body bathed in sunlight. Naked, with closed eyes, he sat next to the water's edge, leaning his back against the boulder. It wasn't long before Snape also emerged from the water, limbs and hair dripping. He shook himself like a wet dog, a strange lopsided grin on his face. When Remus opened one lazy eye and smiled, Snape knelt down between his legs.

Resting his hands on Remus's thighs, Snape dropped his head. He pressed a kiss to Remus's chest and licked a trail to his bellybutton. There he lingered, stabbing it with his tongue. Remus threaded his fingers through Snape's hair. Snape moved his head lower, and lower still.

He sucked Remus's balls into his mouth, one after the other. He followed the thick vein on the underside of Remus's cock with the tip of his tongue, then circled the head and swallowed it. Eyes half-open, Remus smiled, caressing Snape's head as it moved up and down over his groin.

Teddy was paralysed, his eyes fixed on the Mirror. He wanted to flee, wanted to tear the shadow away from the Mirror, wanted to tear him apart. He wanted to Apparate to the other side of the world, wanted the ground to swallow him up.

In the Mirror, Snape let Remus's cock slip out of his mouth until only a thread of saliva connected them.

Teddy's hair started to grow, followed by his fingernails and his nose. They grew so fast it hurt. His face was soon covered with hair. It wound around his neck and choked him. Teddy could barely breathe, but he could still see his father's cock, huge and red and glistening with spittle.

Snape was bending over the boulder now, arse high in the air. Remus stroked his back, his sides, the cheeks of his arse. He circled Snape's pucker with a finger and pushed it inside. A second finger followed, but then Remus withdrew. He kissed Snape's shoulder and, taking his hand, led him to a patch of grass. There he motioned him to lie on his back. Snape obeyed and pulled his knees to his chest. Remus lowered himself on top of him. Slowly, he thrust his cock inside Snape. When he was in balls-deep, he leaned forward and captured Snape's mouth in a kiss.

Teddy retched. It wasn't real, he told himself. He coughed and spat. This wasn't his father. It was just a dream, the fantasy of a filthy pervert. With all his might, Teddy fought against the restraints his own body had put him in. "No!" he screamed. "No! NOOO!"

The images in the Mirror blurred and faded away. The shadow rose.

Fingernails as long as Aunt Hermione's knitting needles prevented Teddy from drawing his wand. Shaking with fury, he plunged forward and crashed into a desk. Terrible pain shot through his leg. For a second, he was disoriented, and he squeezed his eyes shut in a futile attempt to will the pain away. When he opened them again, he saw the Headmaster in front of the Mirror. In his white and emaciated face, his eyes burned like coals.

The Headmaster raised his arm, and red fire shot from his hand. The world turned black.

* * *

Sunlight was streaming though the windows when Teddy woke up. Headmaster and Mirror were gone. Through the wide open door he could hear students laughing their way into the holidays.

* * *

 

 **Part II**

 

 _Severus,_

 _What can I say? What is there still to say?_

 _Allow me to dig into the past, as it's not prophecies or omens, but always the past that foreshadows the future. To put it more accurately, we're creatures of our past, and we carry it with us wherever we turn._

 _I wasn't much more than a boy when, to all appearances, my best friend betrayed my best friend. I lived in the shadow of deceit and murder for most of my adult life, and the awareness of evil has shaped what I am today. Not much has changed since I learned the truth. The feeling of betrayal has given way to an overwhelming regret. If I had believed in our friendship, would it have made a difference? Could my trust have made an impact? It's impossible to say, but one thing I know for sure: Had I trusted, I would've been a happier man. Now I can't help but feel like a traitor myself._

 _I will not repeat my mistake._

 _I trust you, Severus. I firmly believe that there's more to your actions than meets the eye. I know both you and Albus Dumbledore, may he rest in peace, and it's unthinkable that you murdered him in cold blood. I can't even imagine the pain you must feel, and my heart aches in sympathy for you. I have faith in you, faith that you'll accomplish what needs to be accomplished, and that you'll stand with the light in the end, victorious._

 _If only I could see you and tell you all this in person. As it is, I don't even dare to send this letter. In the wrong hands, it might do great harm. Yet the idea of writing this for a later time or even for my own eyes alone has its merits. It allows me to put down my thoughts, to say what I never had the opportunity to say before._

 _We merely had fleeting hours, moments stolen from disparate lives. Added up, the intimate time we spent together may not even amount to a single day. Less than twenty-four hours over the course of three years! They weren't moments of unmitigated happiness, either. We came together in anger and parted in despair. Every time you set out on a dangerous task it was as if a part of my soul went along with you. I could only breathe again when I learned you were back in safety. I could only smile again when I had you back in my arms._

 _They weren't moments of utter happiness, but it was the best time of my life. You once accused me of resenting what you called the 'darkness' in you. I haven't resented you, any part of you, for a very long time. I believe it's this part of your personality, your 'dark' or Slytherin side, that lets you survive even the deadliest perils. We were such idiots as children! Stubborn and prejudiced, and rooted deeper in the past than any child should be. Was it fate? Were we doomed to repeat the sins of generations before us?_

 _I'm deeply sorry for the harm I caused you as a child. For the small things, the daily insults and mockery, and for the main issue that's been standing between us all this time, the fact that I didn't stand up against my friends when they went too far._

 _I'm not a hero, Severus. I'm merely a follower, a hanger-on who, when left alone, is lost. Once again, I'm left alone. I see the world break apart around me and can't summon up the grain of hope necessary to believe in a future._

 _Part of me is angry, terribly angry. Couldn't you have told me? Couldn't you have trusted me? Couldn't you, at the very least, have left me something of yours? I can't afford a Pensieve, and I don't even have a picture of you._

 _There's one thing left for me to do. I'll fight this war. I may not believe in a future of my own, but the least I can do is help to make this world a place where future generations can live in happiness. I'm a broken man and convinced I'm going to die. Don't misunderstand me, I won't seek out Death deliberately; these words are nothing but the product of a mind without hope. Should my apprehension come true, though, promise not to mourn me. I have to thank you for the best time of my life, and I wish you happiness. Don't live in the past, Severus!_

 _I have a confession to make. In a moment of exasperation, I asked Tonks - Dora - to marry me. She says she loves me. She needs me. Please understand, Severus. I've led a miserable life, an 'if-only' existence, a nightmare of 'what-ifs'. What will remain of me once I'm gone? If I can make one person happy, at least my life hasn't been a complete failure._

 _I should have told you this a long time ago, and not held my tongue for fear of ridicule or the silence of your raised eyebrow:_

 _I love you, Severus Snape. I love you with all I have._

 _Always,_

 _Remus_

* * *

Pushing the letter away, Teddy jumped to his feet. The walls of his flat closed in on him like the spiked interiors of a medieval instrument of torture. He needed fresh air. An open window wasn't enough. He climbed through the small opening and onto the roof.

It was an appropriately unpleasant night. Gusts of wind took his breath away, and the steep tiles were still wet from yesterday's rain. Teddy grew talons so as not to slip down.

Usually, the roof was his favourite place. He came here in summer to escape the heat of his dingy flat, and, with the help of strong warming charms, enjoyed the first snow in winter. Tonight, he hated the view. Diagon Alley lay in complete darkness. Only Knockturn's lowest dives were still lit, luring late travellers with red demon eyes. Starless and purple, the sky spoke of the bright lights of Muggle London, of a strange new world that was only a stone's throw away.

More than an hour had passed before Teddy climbed back inside. With fingers stiff and red from the cold he picked up the letter from the floor. He clumsily folded it and stuffed it back into the envelope addressed, _To Severus Snape - in case of our victory and my death, please Owl_.

There were more surprises in store for him; the cardboard box he'd discovered among the possessions of his late grandmother wasn't empty yet. Teddy found several slips of parchment, some of them balled up and singed as if they'd been thrown through a Floo. Hesitantly, he flattened them and placed them side-by-side on the table.

* * *

 _Married? What new idiocy is this?_

 _We have to talk! Meet me tomorrow. Usual time, usual place._

 _S._

* * *

 _You owe me an explanation! Don't stand me up again, or you'll regret it!_

 _Tonight._

 _S._

* * *

 _R,_

 _Your repeated absence forces me to take unusual measures. If, with my last note, I gave the impression that I was threatening you, I apologise. It is, however, true that I believe you owe me an explanation. It's also true that it may seem as if I owe you an explanation as well. In the light of recent events it was foolish of me to assume that you would still trust me._

 _I'm willing to explain my actions to you, as long as you're willing to do the same. Meet me at our usual place. Tonight. Any night. I'll be waiting._

 _S._

* * *

 _We mustn't go on like this!_

 _D is going to have a baby. I made up my mind and decided that, in order to protect her and the child, it'll be best to leave. I have a plan. I hope you'll understand that I can't see you again. Not even I could be so wretched as to seek my own private happiness in a situation like this._

 _R._

The edges of the letter were burned. Several water stains had left a sepia pattern; some of the ink blurred. It looked as if someone had first incinerated the parchment and then used Aguamenti on it. An answering note was scrawled to the back.

 _Don't do anything rash! At least do me the courtesy to say good-bye in person!_

 _My new position comes with the privilege of a private Floo connection. I've given you access. Just say my name._

* * *

Consisting of one or two word messages like _Saturday_ or _Not tonight!_ , the rest of the notes didn't contain any new information. Teddy wondered why his father had kept them at all.

At the bottom of the box he found the photographs his grandmother had taken away from him as a child. Most of them were abandoned; the few remaining showed Remus hiding his face behind his hands.

Teddy turned away. "You were right to keep them from me, grandmother," he said. "I'll never be old enough to understand."

* * *

 

 **Part III**

 

  
**  
_Witch Charms Millions of Muggles_   
**   


_Wizarding actress Victoire Lupin has taken the Muggle world by storm. Her latest "movie" (Muggle moving picture play),_ Bell Book and Candle _, is reported to be a huge success across the pond, and rumour has it that an_ Oswald _(Muggle equivalent for Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award) nomination is in store for the daughter of war hero Bill Weasley and his wife, part-Veela Fleur. (For more about Victoire's Veela origins go to p. 31.)_

 _While our dazzling Victoire is on a four month tour through the United States of America, her husband Teddy, children's book author of moderate success (_ Looking Glass Lad, Master of the Mirror _), is staying behind at their lovely home in Kent. Official sources claim he's working on a new novel, but one can't help wondering if it isn't too dangerous to unleash a Metamorphmagus and son of a werewolf on unsuspecting Muggles. How easily could our world be exposed by the growth of a trunk or a sudden change in hair colour?_

One of the pictures showed Teddy amidst a crowd of wildly applauding children at a book-signing at Flourish and Blotts. He was sporting an elephant's trunk, and approximately every ten seconds his hair changed its colour. Teddy sighed. _Think pink!_ he reminded himself: the catch phrase of his Muggle psychologist. This drivel should at least help to improve his sales figures. With a resigned smile at Victoire, who was blowing kisses in front of a Los Angeles theatre, he closed Witch Weekly and applied himself to his breakfast.

A commotion in the garden interrupted his second cup of tea. In a wild chaos of shrieks and flapping wings, the pheasants on the lawn scattered in all directions as a pair of ravens approached. Gliding through the sky in precise, synchronised movements, they were a majestic sight. Teddy walked down the terrace steps to see what they wanted. The ravens circled high above his head before perching themselves on one of the sturdy branches of an old apple tree. Only after they had folded their enormous wings and bowed their heads in greeting, did Teddy notice the parcel they'd been carrying between them. Fastened to their feet with the help of long leather straps, it hung low enough for Teddy to reach.

Wondering why two birds were needed to carry a parcel the size of a Chocolate Frog card, he untied the straps and gave an astonished whistle; the tiny package easily outweighed several bricks. Before Teddy could Summon ham and cheese from the breakfast table to thank the birds, they'd already spread their wings and taken off again, cawing cacophonous good-byes.

Teddy was no fool. He cast all variations of Revelio Horribilis he knew and only levitated the parcel inside after having ascertained that the content was harmless. Slashing his wand through the air, he cleared a broad space on his cluttered desk, then placed the package on it to take a closer look. The wrapping was completely blank, and Teddy could find no hint of the sender's identity. Being used to the weird gifts her admirers lavished on Victoire, he was prepared for a surprise. He wasn't prepared for the strange and yet familiar sensation he experienced as he fingered the underside of the package. Where three drops of wax sealed the wrapping paper, it was warm to the touch, tingling with the promise of adventure.

Teddy didn't wait another second. He ripped off the paper like an impetuous child at Christmas, unable to contain his curiosity. When he saw what the package held, he was so startled that he almost dropped the Mirror.

Without a shadow of doubt, he knew that this was the real thing. The ornaments on the frame were old friends; the minuscule flowers, mythical creatures and masks spoke to him of his childhood fears and dreams. Teddy put the shrunken Mirror carefully back on the desk and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. "Fuck," he said. "Fuck." He took in a deep breath, then another. When the clock on the wall didn't stop ticking and a trapped bee continued buzzing against the windowpane, he finally leaned forward in his chair.

He saw an eye in the Mirror. It wasn't his own.

* * *

It took Teddy three days to get up the nerve to Unshrink the Mirror. Even then, he couldn't do it for another night, buoyed by a number of Firewhiskys. He carried the dwarf Mirror with him as he roamed the house, muttering to himself. The Mirror was getting heavier with each step.

Finally, sweating under the weight, Teddy stopped before the empty picture of his father on the mantel. "I don't want to see you again. Never."

If his father was somewhere in the picture, he ignored Teddy, but the eye in the Mirror glared disapproval. "All right, all right," Teddy said. "I'm going to fix you now."

Stumbling down the basement stairs, he wondered if his inebriety would have an effect on the Mirror magic. What would he see tonight? The thought of a chorus of scantily clad Veelas on broomsticks made him snicker, and he had to grip the banister to stop himself from falling. The Mirror slipped out of his hand impatiently. Clattering down the rest of the stairs, it landed in front of a wooden door.

"The wine cellar's empty," Teddy said, his voice brimming with regret. He picked up the Mirror and examined glass and frame for damage, sighing with relief when he detected none. "Stupid thing," he reprimanded it, braving the fierce glare.

To win a staring match with a magic Mirror was impossible. Teddy finally gave in and opened the door. "You were right," he was forced to admit, taking in the large room with its dusty racks and the vaulted stone ceiling. "This is just the place for you."

He placed the Mirror on the opposite side of the room and, retreating to the door, drew his wand. "Engorgio."

A ripple went through the Mirror. The tiny golden claws dug into the earth of the floor, growing bigger and bigger until they had reached the size of dragon feet. Squirming and writhing, the ornaments came alive. Shrieks filled the air. The animals and masks and even the flowers screamed in high-pitched horror as the frame shot up to the ceiling. Covering his ears with his hands, Teddy watched a silver wave whoosh upwards and fill the frame. With a last ripple, the Mirror became still once more. Towering in silence, it cast the same wan and mysterious glow that it had cast all those years ago at Hogwarts.

The dramatic rise of the Mirror had sobered Teddy. Drawing patterns in the dust with his bare toes, he wondered if he even wanted to risk a look. He remembered how eager he'd been to see his father when he'd first heard of the Mirror. Now, after everything he'd learned about Remus, he was certain he wouldn't see him again. But what _would_ he see? Himself as an accomplished writer, as famous as Victoire and heaped with awards? Or Victoire herself? The family he never had? A son of his own?

He remembered the eye. Did it belong to his unborn, unconceived child? Was it his own eye after all? The eye of a future Teddy, a Teddy so wise and advanced that he was a complete stranger to himself? An ice-cold shiver ran down his spine. He didn't know if it was fear or greed that made him tremble. He couldn't wait another second to find out what the Mirror held in store for him.

Determined steps led him deeper into the room. He balled his hands into fists and bit the insides of his cheeks, but he forced his eyes to stay open.

He couldn't believe what he saw.

A naked Snape sprawled inside the Mirror, his legs spread wide. His enormous cock loomed right in the centre, stiff and red and glistening with pre-come. A hand was jerking him off with precise strokes. It was the hand of a man, and he was wearing a gold ring on his wedding finger.

Turning away in disgust, Teddy walked out of the room. This wasn't the Mirror of his childhood. It couldn't be.

* * *

Severus Snape barely resembled the image in the Mirror, and he didn't look like the demonic Headmaster either. His hair wasn't black like the dead of night or the wings of a raven. It reminded Teddy of the ashes in the fireplace. Grey and lifeless, it still hung in Snape's face in greasy strands. Far from being ghost white and ethereal, Snape's skin was sallow, criss-crossed with lines and wrinkles and loose around his cheeks. His hands weren't those of a skeleton, and his eyes didn't burn.

Teddy was almost disappointed to see the bogy of his childhood reduced to a tired old man. If it hadn't been for the nose and the rigid posture of his back, he wouldn't have recognised Snape at all. Amidst Victoire's modern Muggle furniture, Snape in his austere wizarding robes seemed anachronistic, a traveller from the middle ages or another universe entirely. Sunlight flooded through the open windows and drove the last shadows of the past away. Teddy felt like an idiot. "Tea?" he offered.

Snape accepted his tea with a nod and cast Sonorus on himself. "You didn't invite me for tea," he said in his hoarse voice. "You mentioned a letter that might be of interest to me."

Some battles were unavoidable. Teddy took a deep breath. "My father wrote to you during the war, in case of his death."

Silence. Snape didn't move. When he finally spoke, Teddy had to strain his ears to hear him. "I didn't receive anything."

"My grandmother kept the letter. I found it among her possessions after her death."

"Andromeda Black died six years ago. Why didn't you forward it to me then?"

While Teddy still pondered a polite answer, Snape spoke again. "Why now? What has changed?"

Fingering the ribs of his corduroys, Teddy launched his attack. "The Mirror. You sent it, didn't you?"

"What makes you think so?"

"Ha!" Teddy jumped to his feet. "You don't even ask what I'm talking about? It _was_ you! I found you out."

"There's no need to get overly excited." Snape finished his tea and put the empty cup on the table. "I indeed sent it. I thought you'd appreciate it as a childhood souvenir. I'm not in the mood for games; if you have questions, ask them."

"You knew about my visits to the Mirror at Hogwarts?"

Snape nodded.

"Did you put it there for me to find?"

Another nod.

"Why?"

"The ghosts and portraits told me you were looking for it."

"So you decided to make a lonely child happy?"

Snape quirked an eyebrow. "I assume you're privy to Remus's letter?" Something in his face twitched as Teddy gave an affirmative nod. "Then you must know about my relationship with your father."

"Do you mean to indicate that you acted out of -" Teddy hesitated. "- friendship for my father?"

"What we had was nothing like _friendship_." Snape spat the last word as if it were an insult, and for a split second Teddy recognised his childhood fiend. Raising his hand, Snape stalled any reply. "I'm willing to answer your questions as far as the Mirror's concerned. I won't discuss personal matters." A coughing fit interrupted him and he reached for his empty cup.

Pouring tea, Teddy thought about his next move. When Snape had recovered, he was ready. "You watched me with the Mirror. Every night, wasn't it so?"

Snape nodded once more. Inserting two fingers into his collar, he massaged his throat, then renewed his Sonorus. "I merely endeavoured to ascertain that the interaction with the Mirror didn't cause you any harm."

"I don't believe you." Having the upper hand was exhilarating. As he dealt his blow, Teddy had to concentrate hard to prevent his hair from turning orange. "You wanted to meet my dad. Over all these years, I provided you with the opportunity to see him."

Snape shook his head.

"Night after night I played the intermediary for you."

"Ridiculous." For the first time during their conversation, Snape glared at Teddy. His eyes didn't burn, but they still reminded Teddy of coals. "Play by the rules. Nothing personal."

"Your rules, Snape. You broke them yourself, all those years ago. That last night, what was it about?"

"A regrettable accident."

It was Teddy's turn to shake his head. Leaning against the mantelpiece, he was very aware of the family pictures in his back. He wondered if Remus had crept back into his photograph to get a glimpse at his lover, but he didn't dare look.

"I certainly didn't plan for you to see me."

"And yet I did. I saw a lot more than I bargained for."

As Teddy stepped away from the fireplace, an almost imperceptible shiver ran through Snape. He gazed at the mantel, a strange expression in his eyes. Teddy needn't look anymore; he knew that his father had entered his photo.

"It was his last night at school." Snape's voice was strangled. "My last opportunity to meet you. After that night, I'd never see you again. I waited for hours on end, but the boy didn't come. He didn't even try to bring his annoying girlfriend. He simply failed to appear."

Snape under the spell of the picture was a creepy sight. Hunched over, his eyes fixed on the mantel, he seemed to have lost all sense of himself and his surroundings. He spoke as if in a trance. Holding his breath, Teddy shivered despite the warmth of the afternoon sun.

"I'd lost all hope. The boy wouldn't come to see you anymore. It was over.

"I was surrounded by shadows, and the Mirror called to me. I'd promised myself never to succumb to its temptation again. It's madness to live in dreams and forget what was. We never made love outside in the grass, Remus. We never kissed in the sunlight. I mustn't look into the Mirror and lose our past. Only with the boy's help could I see you and keep my memories intact.

"The Mirror whispered your name. I knew I could never see you again. I knew it had to be over. Yet, one last dream to say good-bye, what did it matter? One last illusion, what harm could it do?

"It's madness to burn with insatiable desire. Madness!"

"Is this the reason why you sent me the Mirror?" Teddy blurted out. "To get rid of it?"

Snape's head snapped up and his body straightened. He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. "I'm tired of this. Be so good as to give me my letter and let me take my leave."

Wand at the ready, Teddy shook his head. "You owe me, Snape," he said. "You owe me big. I'll offer you a deal. I'll give you the letter, but you have to do me a favour first."

* * *

"What foul desire do you harbour? What's so shameful that you can't acknowledge it, not even to yourself?"

Teddy's wand hand itched. Right now, he desired nothing more than to hex the sneer off Snape's face. "Rubbish," he said. "I told you, the Shrinking must've ruined the magic. The Mirror's flawed."

Snape shrugged. He seemed perfectly calm. Merely a twitch below his left eye betrayed him. "You'll find out soon enough."

Opening the door to the wine cellar, Teddy ushered Snape inside. "Of course I will - with your help."

Teddy watched from the doorway as Snape approached the Mirror. Halfway there, Snape turned his head. "Once you've made sure the Mirror's in perfect working order, you'll immediately interrupt me, is that understood? You will not watch me. You will not leave me here one moment longer than necessary."

Biting the insides of his cheeks, Teddy nodded. "Don't worry," he said, "it's kaput," but Snape had already turned to face the Mirror.

He'd been wrong. Terribly wrong. The Mirror showed Remus, aglow with happiness. Clinging to the frame, Snape sunk to his knees. Teddy advanced with hesitating steps. When he was about an arm's length away, the image abruptly changed. Inside the Mirror, Snape sprawled in obscene nakedness.

Teddy stepped quickly back until he could see his father again, beaming at a Snape in billowing robes. One step forward and his father was gone. Snape was naked once more.

"What the fuck!" Hot anger shot through Teddy. Why was that blasted Mirror taking the piss out of him while at the same time catering to that bastard Snape's perverse desires? What the fuck was wrong with it? What the fuck was wrong with Teddy?

Snape in the Mirror spread his legs. "Stop it!" Teddy gripped Snape's shoulder and shook him. Snape's head banged against the Mirror. The Snape inside blurred, but immediately came back into focus, needle-sharp and shameless.

Snape swivelled around. His eyes were glittering with madness. He clutched Teddy's hand and rose to his feet, never averting his gaze. With a jerk, he lunged at Teddy.

Snape was a furnace, and he encompassed Teddy in his blaze. Unable to resist, Teddy opened himself to the heat, opened his arms and mouth to the onslaught of desire.

Teddy's brain slowed down, and details registered in his mind. Snape's tongue sticking in his throat. Snape's cock rubbing against his belly. His own hard-on grinding against Snape's leg.

Teddy froze. Turning his head in disgust, he pushed Snape away.

Inside the Mirror, Snape wasn't alone anymore. A man had joined him. Teddy could only see his back and the hand with the gold ring that was caressing Snape's skin.

The real Snape stood with hanging arms, motionless, his eyes fixed on the Mirror. "You aren't attractive," Teddy said. "Your skin isn't white. You're old and wrinkled."

He grabbed Snape at the collar and ripped open his robes. "Show me your ugly flesh."

Spinning on his heels, Snape pointed his wand. Teddy was rooted to the spot as his own wand clattered to the floor. He only realised that he was naked when Snape had already dropped to his knees and swallowed his cock.

Threading his fingers through Snape's grey hair, Teddy thrust into the heat of Snape's mouth. His eye fell on the Mirror, where a gold ring shone between raven strands. "No!"

Snape released Teddy's cock and looked up at him with glittering eyes. He grasped Teddy's hand in an effort to get to his feet. Teddy staggered. His legs gave way under him and he fell onto his knees. Snape pulled him forward; Teddy landed on top of him. In a tangle of legs and arms, of mouths and hands and cocks, he forgot everything else.

* * *

The man who buggered Snape in the Mirror was unrecognisable as always, his face hidden behind Snape's back. Teddy lowered his head and kissed Snape on the neck. He was fascinated with his scar. The raised skin was smooth under his lips, like an inscription in Braille, labelling the man in his arms, 'the real Snape'.

Swivelling his tongue around each vertebra, Teddy mapped Snape's body from bony shoulder blades to razor-sharp hips. His arse was probably Snape's best feature. Despite his age, it was still taut. Teddy squeezed Snape's cheeks and pulled them apart to continue his journey. Burying his face in the crack, he flicked his tongue across the pucker. He circled the opening and, pressing his tongue inside, started to hum.

Snape writhed on the floor, pushing his bum backwards against Teddy's face. He let out a string of moans, followed by a rasped, "Fuck me already."

The lube was nearly empty. Fumbling, Teddy prepared himself. The rest of the lube he applied to Snape's pucker, wriggling a probing finger.

"Get inside me," Snape ordered. "Now!" Teddy spread Snape's legs further apart, gripped his hips and slid all the way in.

Inside the Mirror, Snape's lover bent his head to kiss Snape. Teddy could neither distinguish his face nor define the colour of his hair.

"Who are you?"

Gritting his teeth, Teddy pounded into Snape. The answer must lie in him.

With his face turned towards the Mirror, Snape had started to jerk off. Seizing his hand, Teddy interlaced their fingers. "Look at me."

When Snape didn't react, Teddy yanked his hair. "The prick up your arse is mine." He completely withdrew and slammed back in. "Mine, do you understand? Not my father's."

Glittering eyes turned to Teddy. "Tell me, what do you see? What insane desire makes you want to fuck me?"

"I don't know." Teddy thrust harder and faster. "I see a man buggering you, but I don't know who he is. It drives me crazy."

"Idiot." Snape burst into a hoarse laugh. The man in the Mirror raised his head. For the fraction of a second, Teddy knew him. Then a load of Snape's spunk hit the Mirror glass, and Teddy's orgasm ripped through him, sending him into a vortex of oblivion.

* * *

"It has to end."

Snape paused on his way to the Mirror. "Why?"

"Victoire will be back from the States next week."

"I see."

Teddy waited for Snape to do something, but he stood motionless in the middle of the room, a pillar of disapproval. Teddy's eye fell on their makeshift bed in front of the Mirror. The heap of blankets and cushions told of their debauchery in unambiguous words. Teddy Vanished the whole mess with a flick of his wand.

"It isn't quite as simple as that."

"It's a start."

"We'll catch a cold. It'll be a pain in the back." Snape shrugged. "I won't be deterred by a lack of comfort. I'll get what I want."

"You want Remus, not me." Teddy gripped Snape's shoulders. "Don't you see this is madness?"

Snape turned around, and they stood embraced, a parody of lovers. Snape's breath was hot in Teddy's ear. "I want a prick up my arse and strong arms that hold me. Is this so wrong?"

"In that case you don't need the Mirror."

"As a matter of fact that's true. _I_ don't need it anymore. What about you? What is it _you_ want?"

"Me?" An ice-cold shiver ran down Teddy's spine as he realised he didn't know the answer to Snape's question. "To win recognition for my work. To make Victoire happy. A family of my own. A son," he said, but Snape wasn't fooled.

"What does the Mirror show you?"

"You. Together with another man. You already know that," Teddy said defiantly.

"Has it never crossed your mind that you could be this man?"

"Ridiculous."

"Oh really?" Snape stroked Teddy's hard-on through his corduroys.

"Buggering you is kind of nice, I admit to that," Teddy forced through clenched teeth. "It certainly isn't my _deepest, most desperate desire_."

"You have a point here." Snape lowered his head. When he raised it again, his eyes were endless tunnels.

Images from the past flashed through Teddy's mind. He saw his seven-year-old self, crying over the photographs of his dad, desperate to experience his sadness. He saw the horror on his grandmother's face when, at the age of ten, he'd sported a tail and a snout, having failed to turn himself into a wolf. He saw his hand map Snape's skin as he'd been trying to understand the nature of love.

The grip of Snape's hand jolted Teddy back into the present. Before Teddy could collect himself, Snape had shoved him in front of the Mirror.

"Look closely. Who is it you see?"

His hands balled into fists, Teddy bit the insides of his cheeks. He blinked and saw Snape in the Mirror. He and his lover stood embraced, Snape's head resting against the other's cheek. The man looked straight ahead, and Teddy knew who he was.

Teddy recognised his own face. He blinked, and the face in the Mirror turned into that of his father. He blinked again and once more saw himself. With each blink, the man in the Mirror changed. Teddy faded to Remus faded to Teddy faded to Remus. They morphed into each other and after a while, Teddy couldn't distinguish them anymore.

"Who am I?" Teddy turned away in horror. He saw the smirk on Snape's face, and rage and fear exploded in Teddy.

"I'm not my father, do you hear me? I am _not_ my father."

His wand slipped into his hand. "I'm not weak," he shouted. "I'm not a coward, and I won't be an adulterer any longer."

He pointed his wand at the Mirror. "It has to end."

Rage and fear accumulated in the tip of his wand and shot out as red-hot fire. The Mirror burst into glittering shards.

Transfixed by the beauty of the Mirror's destruction, Teddy stood motionless. Snape lunged at him and buried him under the weight of his body.

The long silence that followed the explosion was disrupted by the clatter of glass as Snape finally moved. "Lumos."

Teddy blinked in the weak light of Snape's wand. Where the Mirror had stood was a hole in the floor, surrounded by a circle of shards. Teddy sighed with relief. "It's over."

"It isn't quite as simple as that."

Snape handed Teddy a small shard. It was cold and lifeless. All magic was gone. As Teddy held it up to his face, it reflected the eye of his father.

* * *

The fire in the fireplace flared up green. A ball of parchment shot out of the Floo and landed at Teddy's feet. Teddy picked it up. He put it on the desk in front of him and flattened it with his hands.

 _Tonight! Don't be late!_

Pushing the note aside, Teddy returned to his work. He filled his notebook with his terse scrawl, going back and forth between the pages, crossing out whole passages and adding sentences to the margins. It was already dark outside when a knock at the door interrupted him.

His head shot up, and he grabbed for the note. Balling it up again, he shoved it into the pocket of his cardigan. "Come in."

A beam of light fell through the doorway as Victoire poked her head inside the study. "Romulus asks for his dad. He wants to hear a story."

Teddy nodded and stood. His eye fell on the Muggle clock on the wall. "I completely forgot," he said. "I'm going for a beer with my publisher tonight. I'm late already."

"Don't look so sad. He'll make you an excellent offer, you'll see." Victoire smiled beautifully. "I better go now and tell your son all about his dad's success. We're so proud of you." She blew him a kiss and closed the door behind her.

Teddy went to the fireplace. Taking a handful of Floo-powder from the container on the mantel, he threw it into the flames. "Headmaster Snape," he said and stepped into the fire.


End file.
